Description
These Mini Beef Pot Pies are comforting, savory individual pies filled with tender slow-cooked beef stew enriched with vegetables and a rich gravy, all topped with flaky puff pastry. Perfect for cozy dinners, they combine luscious slow-cooked flavors with a golden, crispy crust.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Beef Stew
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds beef stew meat (or chuck roast cut into small chunks)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 medium onion (roughly chopped)
- 2 medium carrots (peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
- 4 ounces cremini mushrooms (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup Guinness (or any dark Irish stout)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth (low sodium)
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup frozen peas
Pastry & Finishing
- 2 puff pastry sheets
- 1 egg (beaten, for egg wash)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F to prepare for slow cooking the beef stew and baking the pot pies later.
- Sear the Beef: Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef generously with salt and pepper. Add beef in batches, searing for about 5 minutes until browned on all sides. Transfer beef to a plate and repeat with remaining meat.
- Sauté Vegetables: Add onion, carrots, and mushrooms to the Dutch oven. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables soften, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot for extra flavor.
- Add Flour and Tomato Paste: Return beef to the pot. Sprinkle flour over meat and vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and garlic, cooking for 30 seconds to deepen the flavor.
- Deglaze and Add Liquids: Pour in Guinness and cook for 2 minutes to reduce slightly. Then add beef broth, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, dried thyme, and bay leaf. Stir well to combine.
- Simmer in Oven: Bring mixture to a simmer, cover, and transfer the Dutch oven to the preheated oven. Cook for 2 to 2½ hours until the beef is very tender.
- Finish Stew: Remove the pot from the oven. Stir in frozen peas and discard the bay leaf.
- Prepare Pastry: Roll out the puff pastry sheets and cut into 6-8 inch rounds, ensuring they are ½ to 1 inch larger than your ramekins.
- Assemble Pot Pies: Spoon beef mixture into each ramekin. Top each with a puff pastry round, pressing edges to seal. Brush the tops with the beaten egg and cut slits in the pastry to vent steam.
- Bake Pot Pies: Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and puffed.
- Cool and Serve: Let the pot pies cool for 10 minutes before serving to allow the filling to set and avoid burns.
Notes
- Beef Choice: Chuck roast or stew meat works best for tender, fall-apart beef. Avoid lean cuts as they can dry out.
- Browning is Key: Don’t rush searing the beef; a deep golden-brown crust adds rich flavor to the stew.
- Puff Pastry Handling: Keep pastry cold until ready to use to prevent it from becoming sticky and to ensure good puffing.
- Ramekin Size: This recipe yields about 5 pot pies using 4-inch ramekins that are approximately 3 inches deep.
- Instant Pot Shortcut: You can cook the stew in an Instant Pot by searing the beef on the sauté setting, then cooking on high pressure for 35 minutes.
- Vegetable Variations: Feel free to add potatoes, cauliflower, or your favorite veggies to the stew.
- Guinness Substitute: Use red wine or extra beef broth if you prefer no beer.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in airtight containers for 3-4 days; reheat in microwave or oven at 300°F for 10-15 minutes.
- Freezing: Freeze the stew separately for up to 3 months or frozen baked pot pies up to 1 month in airtight containers.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pot pie
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
